


The Key is Perspective

by SociallyAwkwardFox (Maze_Runner_Fae)



Series: The Key Is... [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Comfort/Angst, Fluff and Angst, Galra Keith, M/M, Pre-Slash, Random Aliens - Freeform, bonding moment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-07
Updated: 2016-07-07
Packaged: 2018-07-22 02:21:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7415491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maze_Runner_Fae/pseuds/SociallyAwkwardFox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lance finds out that Keith isn't as human as he originally thought and dreads the conversation he knows has to be had.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Key is Perspective

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize for the terrible summary, but Klance! Sort of... I wanted to write something fluffy because my sister made me watch Voltron and I absolutely fell in love with the show and the Red-Blue idiots. Somehow this ended up more angsty than fluffy. Whoops? Hopefully the characterization isn't too terrible. I might need to watch the entire first season again to really feel like I'm doing them justice. Darn... As always, enjoy!

Lance dodged out of the way of another attack and nearly ended up slipping when his heels dug into unstable ground. His opponent tried to take advantage of Lance’s lost balance, but he managed to roll out of the way just in time. A loud growl was the only warning Lance got before his opponent abandoned the sword they had been using and tackled Lance back to the ground. Sparks flew across his vision as his head banged against the ground followed by a sharp pain in his side that punched all the air out of his lungs.

“You are sorely mistaken if you think you can defeat me, child. Your little Paladin friends can’t save you now. Not even that hybrid one.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You did not seriously think we would fail to notice that part Galra teammate of yours. Our people have always had better sight than most. He might look like one of you on the outside, but we can see underneath the surface.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

The alien that had Lance pinned down looked flabbergasted for half a second then quickly snapped back to what they had been doing by slipping a dagger out of seemingly nowhere and pressing it to Lance’s exposed throat. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that he hasn’t told any of you what he is. Are you even sure he’s on your side? How can you be sure you can trust him?”

Instead of answering with a snarky comment, Lance took his opponent’s distraction as an opportunity to force the alien off him. The dagger that had been pressed to Lance’s throat was lost at some point taking away the alien’s upper hand. The two rolled around in the dirt as they fought to gain the advantage over the other, but neither was able to get a foothold over the other. If Lance still had his bayard with him he might have been able to disable his opponent, but he had dropped it in the confusion before the fighting broke out.

“Last chance to give up, little Paladin.”

“In your dreams.”

“Lance!” Out of the corner of his eye Lance caught sight of a glimpse of red that had him rolling out of the way just in time to avoid the sword alright arcing down to where he had been moments before. “Don’t even think about moving. We’ve already subdued the rest of your group. There’s no use fighting anymore.”

The alien stood up slowly, but made no move to attack and focused his gaze on Lance. “He’ll betray you the first chance he gets. It’s in his blood. It’s only a matter of time.”

“Nobody asked you. Where’s everyone else? I lost my helmet on the way down.”

“Making sure the Malmooth have their new prisoners under control. What is he talking about?”

“I’ll explain later. Let’s get him back to the others.”

Keith’s eyes narrowed like he was going to be stubborn and argue, but he must have seen something on Lance’s face that had him nodding in agreement. He walked around the alien with his sword pointed at it the entire time then gave a quick poke in the back to get the alien moving. The three walked back up the hill in silence and a tension hung in the air that made Lance feel antsy to be rid of the alien.

As soon as they reached the top of the hill, Shiro jogged over to them with Lance’s helmet and bayard in hand. He clapped a large hand on Lance’s shoulder and carefully checked him over for any injuries before the other had the chance to wave any concern away. Shiro gave a satisfied nod then turned to where Keith was still standing with his sword poised to attack if the alien moved so much as an inch in any direction. Keith waited still as a statue while Shiro cuffed the prisoner before he let his sword transform back into the bayard’s resting form.

“I’ll take it from here. Take Lance back to the castle and get his cuts cleaned up. We’ll be out of here once we’re sure all of this is taken care of. It shouldn’t take long.”

“You sure you don’t need any back up?”

“I’ve got this one and Hunk and Allura are still helping out. We’ll be fine. Meet you back at the castle soon.”

* * *

 

“Stop squirming.”

“I can’t help it. It stings.”

“Don’t be such a baby.” Keith dug the antiseptic soaked gauze harder than was necessary into the cut on Lance’s temple earning him a satisfying hiss for his troubles. “So are you finally going to tell me?”

“Tell you what?”

“You know what.”

“Nope. My head’s all fuzzy. Must be the hit I took.”

“Your head is fine, for now. Tell me.”

A heavy sigh from Lance had Keith pulling away from between his legs so he could look the other boy fully in the face. “I need to ask you something first and you have to be honest with me.”

“I’m kind of concerned right now. You’re acting more serious than normal. Maybe you did hit your head harder than I thought.”

“I’m fine. I just need to know that you’ll tell me the truth.”

“As long as you’ll tell me what’s got you acting so weird, sure.”

“Are you…” Lance made a jerky hand movement when he couldn’t figure out the right way to finish wording his question and received a raised eyebrow from Keith in response. “You’re… human, right?”

“I think so.”

“Think so?”

“Something happened a while ago that was pretty strange.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Haven’t thought about it since it happened. What does this have to do with whatever that alien was saying to you?”

A trembling hand ran down Lance’s face while he struggled to come up with the right way to tell Keith something that would definitely fall under the category of shocking. “Apparently their people have some sort of advanced sight that allows them to see under the surface or something like that. That alien was under the impression that the whole team knew about what you are and he was trying to use that to distract me when he realized I didn’t.”

“And what am I, exactly?”

“Please, don’t make me say it.”

“I never thought I’d see the day where you didn’t want to talk.”

“There’s a first for everything.”

“Lance,” Keith’s hands twitched for a second with uncertainty before he wrapped them around Lance’s wrists in a firm grip. “I have to know. If I’m a danger to this team-”

“You’re always a danger to the team. I’m surprised no one has crashed their lion yet when your face pops up on the dash.”

“I think you’re confusing me with you.”

“You wish. Do I have to tell you?”

“I need to know. The team needs to know.”

“I want him-the alien-whatever to be lying, but he was so certain that I already knew and talking about it would get under my skin.”

“Allura and Coran probably have ways to test DNA. I’ll have them check to make sure.”

A firm squeeze from Keith’s hands was enough to convince Lance there was no way of getting out of this conversation without telling Keith and it would be best to go ahead and rip off the bandage. “Galra. You’re part Galra.”

The grip Keith had on Lance tightened to the point it was uncomfortable, but Lance kept his mouth firmly shut. Keith’s eyes were directed resolutely downwards so Lance couldn’t see whatever emotion was probably swimming in them for all to see. What Lance could see of Keith’s face was oddly blank and expressionless like he’d suddenly turned into a blank statue. Every muscle in his body looked like it was pulled taut to the point they would snap if Keith tried to move a single one.

“Zarkon told me I fought like a Galra.” Keith voice came out so low and tight that Lance almost missed what he was saying. “Before you all managed to pick me up, one of those containers of Quintessence spilled all over me and when I pulled my gloves off… It healed my hands. It makes sense. I’m one of them.”

“No.”

“Lance, you know it’s true.”

“Well it doesn’t matter.”

“Of course it matters.”

“Why? What does it change? You’re still the same person you were before. Who cares if you’re part alien?”

“Part Galra.”

A choked off sob ripped through Lance’s throat before he could stop it much to Keith’s surprise, which only increased when Lance dropped his forehead against Keith’s own. “I don’t care. The team won’t care. It doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t.”

“You can’t know that.”

“Yes, I can. We’re a team. It means we’re there for each other no matter what. This isn’t going to change that because we’re the Paladins. Nothing will change that because we were picked for a reason. We were picked because of who we are, not because of where we came from or who our parents are.”

“I could be a danger to you all.”

“Not any more than usual.”

“Way to ruin the moment.”

“Like you weren’t starting to get hives from actually having feelings.”

“You’re an idiot.” Keith pulled back with a heavy sigh and brushed his unruly hair out of his face so he could actually see. “As soon as the others get back, I have to tell them.”

“You won’t have to do it alone.”

“What happened to me being your rival?”

“We had a bonding moment. I touched my forehead to yours.”

“Don’t remember it. Didn’t happen.”

“It literally just happened!”

“Nope.”

Lance hopped down from the medical table he had been sitting on and would have gone crashing to the floor if Keith didn’t have the foresight to wrap his arm securely around the other boy’s waist. “We should get to the control room. They’re probably preparing for take-off.”

“Do you need my help to get there or do you have it now?”

“That depends. Is the floor supposed to be moving like that?”

“Idiot.”

* * *

 

“We are now on course for our next destination. This planet is a personal favorite of mine. I spent quite a bit of time there when I was younger. Mountains so high you could swear they never ended.” Coran looked even more excited than normal at the prospect of going to whatever planet they were on route to liberate next. “You two have been awfully quiet. Where’s the usual bickering?”

“There’s something I need to tell everyone.”

“Please tell me male pregnancy isn’t a thing. There’s only so much weird I can handle before I have to draw the line.”

“What even? Hunk, no. At least not that I know of. It’s something else.”

“Oh, thank goodness. I’ve had enough weird for one day.”

“I think what Hunk means to say,” Pidge nudged Hunk in the side with a bony elbow that had Hunk grimacing in pain. “is we’re glad you’ve decided to share whatever this news is with us. It means a lot to know you trust us enough to tell us the truth.”

“Right. I understand if what I’m about to tell you freaks you out, but… I’m part Galra. When the Quintessence I found at the Galran transport station spilled on me, it healed the damage I had on my hands. I didn’t really have time to think about what that meant because of the wormhole incident, but the alien Lance was fighting today knew. He thought we all knew what I am.”

“How is that possible? You grew up on earth. Didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Does it really matter? He’s still Keith.”

Allura calmly went to stand in front of Keith with a soft smile on her face that always had a strangely calming effect on whichever Paladin it was directed at. “We can check to be sure. If you want. It is entirely up to you. Although understanding your biological makeup might come in handy in case you are ever injured and we must treat you without the aid of the healing pods.”

“I want to be sure. I need to know.”

“First thing tomorrow then. You deserve a good night’s rest. You all worked hard today and did a good job dealing with an unexpected situation as a team.” Allura cupped Keith’s cheeks in her hands and pressed a motherly kiss to his forehead, then left the room with Coran trailing along behind her.

Shiro took up Allura’s place in front of Keith and placed a reassuring hand on Keith’s shoulder. “Lance is right. Knowing your part Galra doesn’t matter. We have your back no matter what and we’re here to listen if you need to talk. I’m sure I speak for everyone on the team when I say we’re going to be here for you every step of the way. We’ll be there tomorrow if you want us to be. It’s all up to you, but just know you don’t have to go through this alone.”

“Th-thank you. I’m going to get some sleep now. I’ll think about it. About whether I want you there tomorrow.”

“Make sure you actually get some sleep.”

“I will. Uh, night.”

“Night.”

Shiro watched Keith retreat from the room with his arms crossed over his chest and the look that the other Paladins had dubbed the ‘Dad Face.’ His eyebrows were scrunched together in worry and he was frowning slightly like he was trying to figure out a solution to a problem, but hadn’t figured out what to do just yet. After a few minute of staring at the door, Shiro turned his attention away from the empty space and to the three Paladins still in the room.

“I’ll see you all in the morning. Make sure you all get some sleep tonight. I’m sure your bodies need the rest.”

* * *

 

Lance rapped his knuckles against the door to Keith’s room and waited for the other Paladin to answer the door. When it became apparent Keith didn’t plan on answering the door, Lance knocked again, except he put more force behind it so it sounded more like he was banging on the door than knocking. He was half expecting Keith to throw something at the door in retaliation or open the door so he could yell at Lance for being rude, but all Lance got for his troubles was more silence. With a sigh, Lance knocked one more time in hopes that Keith would magically decide to change his mind and open the door. It didn’t surprise him one bit when he got the same response he had all the other times.

“Keith, open up the door. I’m going to keep knocking. I can do this all night. You know I can.”

“I’m trying to sleep. Go away.”

“No. Let me in.”

The sound of the lock releasing on the door filled the quiet of the hallway with noise right before Keith appeared in the doorway. “What do you want?”

“To make sure you’re not brooding.”

“I don’t brood.”

“You brood excessively. It’s a key part of your personality.”

“You’re being ridiculous.”

“Not the first time I’ve heard that. Do you always wear workout gear to bed or were you planning on sneaking off to the training room to destroy your emotions away?” Keith’s narrowed his eyes into an impressive glare that had Lance grinning triumphantly. “Beating things up isn’t going to help.”

“How would you know?”

“Because anyone with half a brain knows punching things doesn’t always solve everything.”

“You’re being the voice of reason again. I think that’s one of the signs of the apocalypse.”

“And you all call me the drama queen.”

The small smile on Keith’s face slowly melted away to nothing, leaving behind a sombre expression. “Did you actually need something?”

“I didn’t think you should be alone.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“But you don’t have to. That’s the point of having a team. You don’t have to do anything alone if you don’t want to.”

“What makes you think I don’t want to handle this alone?”

“No one wants to handle something like this alone. Come on.” Lance grabbed Keith’s hand and tugged him over to the bed then pulled at his shoulders until he was lying next to him on the bed. “Isn’t this better than sitting in the dark alone?”

“You stink.”

“Your mullet is stupid.”

“Your voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard.”

“Your face makes me want to throw up.”

“Shut up and go to sleep.”

“I’d say make me, but you’d probably take the opportunity to knock me out.”

Halfway through laughing at Lance, Keith ended up yawning and closed his eyes as sleep hit him like a sledgehammer. “Thank you for not leaving me alone.”

Lance smiled into the darkness and inched his fingers along the bed until he found Keith’s hand pressed palm down into the mattress. After a bit of wedging, Lance managed to wiggle his fingers underneath Keith’s hand and interlaced their fingers together. At first Keith kept his fingers as stiff as a board, but slowly they latched onto Lance until they were practically cutting off circulation. Slowly Keith’s grip on Lance’s hand slackened as his breathing evened out and he fell into a deep sleep for the first time in months.

**Author's Note:**

> One last thing, I finally decided to get on the Tumblr thing. So follow the link to get there. You can ask questions, send me story idea, or just gush over Voltron with me. sociallyawkwardfoxwriter.tumblr.com/


End file.
